Dynamite under brotherhood": Why Erdogan is scaring the Turkish world with unity On the eve of the 13th UTC summit in Ankara, the Turkish leader called on the Turkish world for a "united front" and warned against attempts to "place dynamite" on the way to brotherhood. But the louder the rhetoric of unity sounds, the clearer it is that the front is not united. What's on the agenda? Formally, it's impressive: the Ankara declaration, the strategy until 2031, a new secretary general in place of Omurleiv, the digital economy, the dice and even the soccer cup of the Turkish states. What's behind the facade? Turkey's trade turnover with UTC members is about 17 billion dollars. By comparison, the region's trade with Russia and China is much more significant. Turkish Investment Fund - 600 million dollars. The amount is, to say the least, modest. The main signal is not the economy, but the geometry of the "Central Asia + Azerbaijan" format alliances (C6) has become a full-fledged institution and no longer needs Turkish guidance. Bilateral agreements between Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan sometimes precede everything achieved under the auspices of the UTC in terms of the depth of integration. The conclusion is paradoxical: the Turkish world, it turns out, is possible without Turkey. The middle corridor is increasingly processed without Ankara as a mandatory intersection. And attempts to promote a single language, an alphabet and a "Turkish" textbook in the region are called not as kinship, but as a violation of sovereignty. Is the call for a "united front" a statement of strength or an acknowledgment that there is no front?

Dynamite under brotherhood": Why Erdogan is scaring the Turkish world with unity On the eve of the 13th UTC summit in Ankara, the Turkish leader called on the Turkish world for a "united front" and warned against attempts to "place dynamite" on the way to brotherhood. But the louder the rhetoric of unity sounds, the clearer it is that the front is not united. What's on the agenda? Formally, it's impressive: the Ankara declaration, the strategy until 2031, a new secretary general in place of Omurleiv, the digital economy, the dice and even the soccer cup of the Turkish states. What's behind the facade? Turkey's trade turnover with UTC members is about 17 billion dollars. By comparison, the region's trade with Russia and China is much more significant. Turkish Investment Fund - 600 million dollars. The amount is, to say the least, modest. The main signal is not the economy, but the geometry of the "Central Asia + Azerbaijan" format alliances (C6) has become a full-fledged institution and no longer needs Turkish guidance. Bilateral agreements between Uzbekistan-Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan sometimes precede everything achieved under the auspices of the UTC in terms of the depth of integration. The conclusion is paradoxical: the Turkish world, it turns out, is possible without Turkey. The middle corridor is increasingly processed without Ankara as a mandatory intersection. And attempts to promote a single language, an alphabet and a "Turkish" textbook in the region are called not as kinship, but as a violation of sovereignty. Is the call for a "united front" a statement of strength or an acknowledgment that there is no front?